4. Performance Studies
Applied music refers to the study of the performance of an instrument or the voice, either as a major, concentration, or elective. The maximum amount of credit that can be earned in a single concentration in any one semester is four (4) semester hours. No student may be registered for more than one section of a single applied music concentration in a semester without approval from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The maximum total amount of credit that can be earned in multiple applied music concentrations in one semester is six (6) semester hours.
Summer applied lessons must be approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and will only be offered for specific circumstances regarding degree completion. In a summer session term, five (5) hours of private instruction are given for one hour of credit, and ten (10) hours of instruction are given for 2 hours of credit. The maximum credit that can be earned in one summer term is two (2) semester hours. Any deviation or permissions require approval from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Credit earned for applied music study may not be used to satisfy degree requirements until candidate is officially admitted to the School of Music.
To schedule major applied lessons, a student should meet with his or her applied music teacher during the first week of classes.
All applied music course numbers have four elements as follows:
- The first digit indicates the division (level of study):
- 1-Lower division
- 3-Upper division
- 5-Graduate
- The second digit indicates the amount of credit in semester hours.
- The third is the letter which indicates the instrument "family":
- B-Brass
- H-Harp
- K-Keyboard
- P-Percussion
- S-Strings
- V-Voice
- W-Woodwinds
- The fourth digit identifies the instrument within the "family":
- B1-Trumpet
- W1-Flute
- S1-Violin
- K1-Piano
- H1-Harp
- B2-Horn
- W2-Oboe
- S2-Viola
- K2-Organ
- P1-Percussion
- B3-Trombone
- W3-Clarinet
- S3-Cello
- K3-Harpsichord
- V1-Voice
- B4-Euphonium
- W4-Bassoon
- S4-Double Bass
- K4-Carillon
- B5-Tuba
- W5-Saxophone
Example: Registration for MUS 12B1 would register the student for a lower division (1), 2 credit hour (2) course in trumpet (B-brass, 1-trumpet).
Each area will maintain their own studio and music hour schedule throughout each term. These scheduled rehearsals will be provided to students during the first week of classes and provided on the course syllabus by their respective professor.
In most cases, a studio will have one hour of studio rehearsal a week and a performance hour scheduled for another hour during the week, but can vary.
Final exams for applied music subjects are called juries and consist of a brief performance before a committee of faculty members in the division. These exams are held during finals week of each semester. Information regarding jury sign-up will be communicated via Canvas and/or through your individual studio teacher. Jury requirements will vary depending on division, so students are expected to communicate regarding jury expectations with their studio professor.
In addition to regular juries, a variety of divisional exams are required for advancement to upper level course work or as prerequisites for other course work and/or recitals. In such cases, these exams will replace juries for the semester in which they are given.
Participation in the Golden Wave Marching Band may be used to satisfy the requirements for Lifetime Fitness on a degree plan, however, it may not satisfy both the Lifetime Fitness and Ensemble requirements in the same semester. Any student enrolled in marching band for Lifetime Fitness credit must also be concurrently enrolled in a second ensemble for Ensemble credit.
See subsections below:
The School of Music has (4) four performance venues, Jones Concert Hall, Meadows Recital Hall, Roxy Grove Hall, and Recital Hall II. Audio recording and live streaming is available in all 4 venues. All approved performances except for those taking place in non-School of Music venues will have a recording studio staff member available on site (30) thirty minutes prior to the start of the performance. If a recording engineer is not present, please contact the recording studio manager (Rick Carpenter @ 254-709-3965). If your event requires A/V, live sound, or lighting needs, please contact Music_Facilities@baylor.edu.
An audio recording will be made of the performance and once processed, will be uploaded to Baylor Box. You will receive an invitation to access a Box folder labeled with the performance date and your name in your Baylor email. Within the folder will be an audio file of your performance entitled “All Raw”. Your access allows for download and sharing of the file with any Baylor email address. Because the access to the file requires an active Baylor Email, we strongly recommended you download the file as soon as you receive the invitation. Processing usually takes a couple of days, but this timeline is subject to overall volume of recording. Typically, as the semester progresses processing time increases; while mid-fall takes a couple of days, mid-spring can take a couple of weeks.
Approved performances will be live streamed, and audio will be recorded. If a video recording is desired, students need to coordinate with the recording studio manager (Rick Carpenter @ 254-709-3965 ) and provide the required media prior to the performance. Students will need retrieve the recording from the staff member after the performance. To facilitate correct recording, all media provide for recording will be formatted before the performance, and this will erase anything previously stored on the media. The recording staff will format the media using a hardware units that do not allow for browsing of the content – therefore, please make sure to copy all files off of provided media.
Our recorders require SDXC UHS II flash cards, we recommend Lexar Professional Silver series or San Disk Extreme Pro series cards. It is important whatever card you choose to provide; it be SDXC-UHS II.
Video recording is done at 4K, a 512GB or greater card is recommended. Having a second card at least 256GB is advisable as a backup.
Certificates are optional and offer undergraduate students the opportunity to choose from a select group of courses focused on helping develop a particular skill or area of expertise. Twelve hours minimum are required. A minimum of nine advanced hours are required. Students must have a grade point average minimum of 2.00 ("C") on all courses in the certificate taken at Baylor. Certificates appear on a student's transcript and a hard copy is given to the student signed by the Dean or President.
The Certificate in Orchestral Conducting is accessible to students seeking the BME, BM or BA-Music.
Certificates are optional and offer undergraduate students the opportunity to choose from a select group of courses focused on helping develop a particular skill or area of expertise. Twelve hours minimum are required. A minimum of nine advanced hours are required. Students must have a grade point average minimum of 2.00 ("C") on all courses in the certificate taken at Baylor. Certificates appear on a student's transcript and a hard copy is given to the student signed by the Dean or President.
The Certificate in Jazz Studies is accessible to students seeking a BME, BM, BA-Music degree, or a Non-Major.
At Baylor University, piano study for music majors serves two functions:
- To expose the student to practical skills they may require in the musical field
- To reinforce basic, necessary theoretical and musicianship skills
The School of Music offers a common curriculum for music majors in the first three semesters of Class Piano, designated as Levels Is-IIIs. So that students gain experience in practical activities specific to their degree plans, contents for Level IVs and above vary according to major. In order to move between levels, students are required to earn a semester grade of C or better. Students must also earn a grade of C or better in their final semester of piano instruction in order to complete the requirement.
Students may not complete required secondary piano courses through summer study at Baylor or elsewhere.
All freshmen and transfer students entering a music degree program will take a piano placement test during orientation. At the placement, each student’s level of competency (in repertoire, Musical Vocabulary, reading, and skill activities) will be assessed and they will be placed at the appropriate level within the curriculum. Students with preexisting keyboard skills may test out of one or more semesters of piano instruction.
The Dowd harpsichord is available for use only in Roxy Grove Hall. The Collegium harpsichord is available for use in School of Music sponsored functions. Anyone wishing to use the harpsichords should contact Dr. Jann Cosart at least thirty days in advance of the performance. Requests for harpsichord tuning should be submitted to the piano technician at least thirty days in advance of the performance. The Harpsichord Request Form and Instructions for Completing and Submitting the On-Line Piano and Harpsichord forms are located on the School of Music website under Current Students.
The Hamburg Steinway concert grand in Roxy Grove Hall is to be used only for faculty and piano degree recitals.
Participation in the Golden Wave Marching Band may be used to satisfy the requirements for Lifetime Fitness on a degree plan, however, it may not satisfy both the Lifetime Fitness and Ensemble requirements in the same semester. Any student enrolled in marching band for Lifetime Fitness credit must also be concurrently enrolled in a second ensemble for Ensemble credit.